The Mitzvah Project Book: Making Mitzvah Part of Your Bar/Bat Mitzvah ... and Your Life

I am reading this with my son as we prepare for his Bar Mitzvah. It's nice to spend time together reading about mitzvah projects as well as brainstorming ideas for his. This book has a wide variety of ideas, which are applicable not only to mitzvah projects but anyone who wants to make a difference.

This has been very helpful for my students!

good ideas but already thought of all of them

yay

The Bar Mitzvah ceremony for boys at age 13 and the Bat Mitzvah ceremony for girls at age 12 or 13 is very significant for Jews, but not very meaningful. The ceremonies have little impact upon their lives. The authors of this easy to read and very informative book offer dozens of ideas that will help young people grow spiritually, learn responsibility, and use their talents to perform good and meaningful deed for themselves, their families, fellow Jews, and non-Jews, both in their community and world-wide.Examples of projects that the authors suggest and tell how to perform, are: Support orphans through your own crafts. Make personal tallits, prayer shawls, and give them to other people. Help stock a thrift shop. Collect costumes for kids. Hold cell phone tutorials. Read to elderly people. Write to wounded soldiers, American and Israeli. Volunteer at the public library. Become a member of a Jewish organization. Send care packages to Israeli soldiers. Give support to The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous, these are non-Jews who helped Jews during the Holocaust. Pass along your favorite books. Keep current on Israeli affairs. Bring parents breakfast in bed for a period of time.These are just some of the many projects that the authors suggest for young people to help them make their Bar and Bat Mitzvah ceremonies meaningful and memorable. Every chapter ends with interesting real life examples of how the proposed projects were carried out successfully and enjoyed by young people.

If a Bar or Bat Mitzvah is in your future (or that of your child's), this book will be a valuable resource. The authors offer realistic and pre-teen friendly ideas for mitzvah projects, designed to make the experience of becoming a bar or bat mitzvah meaningful.The book is arranged in a very accessible way. Chapters are organized by interests such as cooking, environment, animals and fitness. Suggestions are offered (and real world examples provided) of do-able projects that match kids' interests. What struck me the most was the breadth and depth of ideas. There is truly an idea for every type of kid--from one who is into shoes (yes....she collected shoes for Soles4Souls) to one who lives for summer camp (donating sports equipment to a camp for disadvantaged kids) to the computer whiz who broadcasted services to housebound congregants, there is something for everyone.Written in a breezy and kid-friendly way, with pages for notes and suggestions for everyday mitzvot, this book has value beyond the Bar/Bat Mitzvah year. In fact, you don't have to be Jewish to find value in this book. For kids who want to make the world a better place, I highly recommend the Mitzvah Project Book.

My kids are 8 and 11, and this is exactly what we've been looking for, here in North Carolina. Since my wife didn't grow up Jewish, this has been especially helpful for us with getting the right ideas across.